Texas Woman Shares Story Of Wrongful Incarceration

Kansas City, MO – Nearly three decades ago, Joyce Ann Brown's life changed suddenly. She was accused of murdering the owner of a Texas fur store. There was no physical evidence that linked her to the crime, but the store owner's wife mistakenly identified her.

Brown was convicted after an inmate, whom she didn't know, gave false testimony in exchange for release from prison. She was sentenced to life.

Brown spent nine years in prison, until a non-profit organization called Centurion Ministries heard her story and began working to free her. When her case gained national attention, Joyce Ann Brown was proven innocent.

After she was finally released from prison, she went on to found her own non-profit, Mothers for the Advancement of Social Systems, which assists convicts and their families through advocacy, counseling, education, and job placement.

Joyce Ann Brown was recently in Kansas City to meet with mothers of incarcerated sons and daughters, through a new initiative of the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime. During her visit, Brown stopped by KCUR's studio, and Susan Wilson asked her how she felt the morning she found out she was wanted for a murder she didn't commit.

Joyce Ann Brown has also written a book about her experiences called Joyce Ann Brown: Justice Denied.